The Birmingham Municipal Bank Football Club (“BMBFC") had an inauspicious start to its existence. It stemmed from regular Sunday morning meetings of six members of staff (Dick Snow, Les  Webber, Michael Aston, Alan Woodbridge, Michael Taylor, and me) that assembled in 1961 at Perry Park for training and developed from that. Gradually, more staff joined in and it soon became obvious that we had enough players to form a team. By general agreement, I was deputed to open discussions with the Birmingham Monday League (“BML”) who, despite the title, played on Sunday afternoons.  This was important because the Bank then opened six-days a week; albeit, on Saturdays it closed at noon, staff did not leave until after 1.00 p.m. and then the players had to travel to the ground. Bill Rogers, who was then Secretary of BML, fixed the Club up with a Council pitch at Small Heath Park and we were all set to go. The Small Heath pitch suited most players as it was on the Coventry Road and was readily accessible to several bus routes, including the Inner Circle. This later changed to Swanshurst Park and after much badgering and communication with Local Councillors the City Council were prevailed upon to build a new set of changing rooms, including showers, that were the envy of all our opponents.

To start with the original six participants had each contributed £1 to the club which, in those days, bought a set of twelve black and white striped shirts – blue or claret & blue being banned by common consent – and a match ball. I cannot remember the precise cost of hiring a pitch, but it was probably in the order of ten shillings. To that had to be added the cost of the referee’s fee; however, we only had to do this every second week because the opposing team had to meet these costs for their home games. All players had to pay a small sum (it may have been one or two shillings) every time we played to cover the weekly costs. In addition, we had about 21 or 22 Vice-Presidents who very kindly donated five shillings a year and these amounts, plus other donations kept the club solvent.

Everything worked reasonably well to start with but with more players wanting to join more income was clearly needed. Ian Galloway and I put our heads together and agreed that matters could not continue as they were, and something had to be done. One evening, Ian invited me over to his and his wife’s flat (over Alum Rock Branch) to have an in-depth discussion on how to resolve the issues. His wife, Shirley, (a truly kind and supportive lady) kept us awake by supplying cups of coffee and we looked at several ways of generating funds. The credit for the idea of running a football pontoon, restricted to members of Staff of the Bank, must go to Ian who proposed the idea. Each member of Staff who wished to participate was allocated two teams (taken from the first and second divisions of the Football League) and for a shilling per week they would take part. Fortunately, the Birmingham Sports Argus provided a weekly “Pontoon Table” listing all the weekly scores for each team: an unimpeachable source of research if ever a dispute occurred.  The winner was the member(s) of Staff whose two teams had scored exactly 21 goals in any given number of weeks; a booby prize was also awarded to the person(s) having the least number of goals in the same period. The overall winner(s) received 60% of the total receipts and the booby prize winner(s) received 15%. To add to the interest, participants were automatically entered into a draw for two FA Cup Final tickets that were due to the Club, by virtue of its membership of the Birmingham County FA. The winner of the draw was awarded the tickets plus £10 to cover the return rail fare to London. 

Starting in the 1966/67 season, the results were quite staggering. Ian and I anticipated that we might generate £50 per season for the Football Club. In fact, we generated five times that sum in the first season of operations. This surplus gave Ian and I an embarrassment of riches. We received a request from Tony Green, the secretary of the BMB Golfing Society, for financial support in meeting some of their costs.  This was a perfectly reasonable request and we had no problem in transferring the funds needed. It did, however, give Ian and I considerable anxiety. Our problem was what if other Bank societies/clubs made similar requests?  We were, after all, responsible for the funds provided by the Staff and, as we were then low on the totem pole of the Bank’s hierarchy, had we the right or the responsibility to review accounts or question proposals of expenditure?  We resolved to speak to officers of the Bank’s Staff Association and ask for their advice.  My uncle was Howard Powell, then a Branch Manager and a principal member of the BMB Staff Association, and it was agreed that I approach him for advice on how to deal with our problem.

Howard convened a meeting with him, Mr G W (“Wilf”) Thomas (the Chairman of the Staff Association), Ian and me.  To their great credit Wilf and Howard fully appreciated our dilemma and proposed that the Staff Association should respond to all future requests for financial support in the future. For our part, Ian and I would continue to administer the Pontoon and all surplus funds would be transferred to the Staff Association to meet successful requests for funding from the various sporting and pastime sections: Cricket Club, Golfing Society, Motoring Club, Rambling Club and Tennis Club. The Staff Association Committee therefore assumed responsibility for dealing with such requests for financial support and oversaw the distribution of the monies raised.  Ian and I did check with Joe Hoccom, our Auditor, that he accepted the process and (as usual with Joe) he carefully thought through the idea and pronounced that it seemed a fair and reasonable solution to the problem we faced.  He went on to give me some valuable advice as to how this was to be reported in the Pontoon’s annual accounts, which was gratefully received and acted upon.  Ian and I could now relax as our problem was resolved in what, we hoped, was a fair and equitable manner. 

I ceased to be a player in 1968; a combination of anno dominiand promotion to relief branch manager.  Two broken legs, two years apart, and other injuries (I still carry the scars of four boot studs that required stitches on my left leg to this day) convinced me that it was time to call it a day. 

Ian and I put in a great deal of effort in ensuring that the Football Club was properly funded and this was rewarded by seeing the team turn out each week in matching shirts, shorts and socks.  We were also able to have the kit professionally laundered and this added to the sense of pride in playing for the Bank.

Great days and very fond memories.

(November 2020)